Project Manager

Established in 1994, OCU Group is one of the fastest growing utility engineering contractors in the UK, with a long successful track record in delivering customer-focused civil engineering solutions.

Working directly with many of the country’s leading blue-chip power, water, telecoms and rail clients, we are looking for the very best talent to join our growing team.

We pride ourselves on empowering our employees and offering opportunities for them to take control of their own personal development and career progression in a supportive environment.

We believe that being successful is a choice.

We choose to be successful.

We are OCU, ‘One Company United’.

Role Overview

We are seeking a skilled Project Manager/ Lead Design Engineer with strong project management capabilities to join our multidisciplinary water/wastewater design team. This role involves leading the design delivery process across all project phases, ensuring technical quality, compliance, and on-time delivery within a Design & Build environment. You will coordinate design teams and external stakeholders, manage design documentation and contracts, resolve technical issues, and support procurement and commercial processes. With a solid background in UK water infrastructure projects, you’ll also play a key role in client engagement and work-winning activities.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Work collaboratively within a multidisciplinary environment across teams Worldwide, including the UK, to ensure successful delivery of projects.
• Lead and contribute to the efficient delivery of projects to meet programme and budget, complying with OCU business management governance.
• Lead and contribute to quality and safe design of technical solutions for projects in accordance with relevant design standards and codes.
• Implement corrective measures for identified design deviations or issues.
• Review, negotiate and recommend on design change orders.
• If necessary, administer design subcontracts including processing monthly invoices for payment.
• Coordinate and monitor status of design programs complying with provisions of design contract in place.
• Perform or coordinate constructive reviews confirming design is to contract requirements, asset standards, water industry standards and proposal commitments.
• Coordinate and control design submittals for Clients review and approval.
• Facilitate resolving design issues with Client.
• Head and manage procurement quotations from vendors for selected materials. Manage quotations and proposals from specialist engineering subcontractors and vendors.
• Oversee, check and ensure maintenance of the Purestream Sharepoint document management structure and deliverables produced as part of the client delivery.
• Manage client pre-construction information, survey data and record drawings to help establish and maintain effective communication and information systems within the team, including construction team and design team. Maintain and update technical query register for all projects assigned.
• Manage and co-ordinate external stakeholders associated with the projects and related survey contractors.

• Complete regular team meetings with an appointment agenda and inform commitments to team members

• If required, contribute and/or lead work winning initiatives through production of proposals, fees, and scope definition, in response to client tenders/requests, in accordance with Purestream bid management system.

• Client and construction team engagement (incl. Design & Build) to manage and contribute to discussions on technical water engineering solutions, to technical and non-technical clients – both during project delivery and bidding stages.

Skills & Experience

• Educated to degree level within engineering or equivalent field, with solid knowledge of infrastructure / non infrastructure projects and Chartered or working towards chartership with the relevant institution.
• Hands on experience of design/design-&-build/project and bid delivery in the water and/or wastewater engineering sector in the UK.
• Highly motivated, organised and with a strong desire to lead and contribute to technical excellence within project teams and wider OCU team/practice.
• Experience of working with contractors to deliver the successful implementation of engineering solutions in the Design & Build environment.
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills with the ability to work both collaboratively and independently within a multidisciplinary team including with Clients, Contractors and colleagues alike.
• Flexible approach to work type and locations for project assignments, if required, with a hybrid working model

Company Information:

OCU leads the way in end-to-end infrastructure engineering in the utilities, digital, and energy markets, specialising in safely and efficiently delivering complex client requirements. Our breadth of capabilities and depth of operational capacity, paired with our cutting-edge technology, ensure that we are not just part of the market; we are leading it.

Working directly with many of the country’s leading power, energy transition, water, telecoms and digital clients, we are looking for the very best talent to join our growing team.